After all that had happened, it was hard to believe that I felt protected in his strong arms as they encircled my waist, but I did. The kiss wasn’t long and was almost like butterfly’s wings it had been so soft and gentle.
“I brought some food I had stashed away and a couple bottles of water. After we eat, you can wash up, if you wish. The stream goes into an enclosed room over there that is perfect for bathing. It’s heated by an underground hot spring, I believe. Then, you should probably try to get some rest. It’s been a rough few days. I’ll stand guard while you rest.”
“Raven, you need some rest, too.”
“I’ll be fine. Now, let’s dig in. It’s not every day that you get a feast of slightly outdated granola bars, warm water and some stale chips.”
“It sounds good to me. I’m starved.”
“I wish I had something better to offer you, but I haven’t been down here in a while. I’m not as well prepared as Victor.”
“I’m not sure a mega-survivalist is as prepared as Victor, but I’m glad that he had all that stuff.”
“Yeah, me, too. Remind me never to underestimate that guy’s knack for survival. Are you sure this is ok?”
“Really, it’s fine. Stall granola bars and chips are some of my favorite snacks.” I joked and then said in a more serious tone, “Besides how were you supposed to know we’d end up hiding here?”
“I should have anticipated the possibility with Dark Hearts having so heavily infiltrated the area. I’m the leader and it’s my responsibility to take care of all of you.”
“I don’t think anyone expects you to be perfect all the time.”
“You don’t understand. I must be the leader that my father and the Order expect me to be. That means taking care of my squad and looking out for you. I’ve failed at both.”
“I think you were as ready as you could be under the circumstances. How could anyone know that Dark Hearts would be able to get through that lair of Victor’s?”
“That’s just it, I wasn’t ready at all. Can we discuss something else, please? It’s my problem and I’ll have to work it out to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Besides, you wouldn’t want this feast before us to go to waste, would you, since these are some of your favorite foods.”
I grinned at that as I bit into a slightly repulsive granola bar that stuck to my teeth. As hungry as I was, it tasted wonderful and just required some creative chewing. I’d never had six-month-old potato chips, but if you’re hungry enough you eat about anything, I learned that day as we both munched away.
The company was great, though, as we changed the topic of our conversation. We started talking about school and some of the things that had happened over the years. We forgot our problems for a while as we got caught up in typical teen memories. Some were good, some not so much. I learned a few things about Raven, too.
It seems that being with Brittany had been part of an assignment for the Order. I guess he wasn’t very fond of her either. We didn’t really linger on that topic overlong. It’s better to discuss pleasant things especially with all the crap happening around us. Raven assured me that the other shields were ok. At least they’d been alright when he’d left them to come and rescue me.
Neither of us knew the outcome of the skirmish in the woods, although he assured me that my guys were seasoned warriors. We sat side by side on the blanket as we ate. It did little to soften the floor of the cave, but at least it offered some comfort from the rough gravel beneath us.
After we’d eaten our fill, he led me to the private spring-filled bathing chamber. I felt so grubby that it sounded good even though I was so tired. He produced a couple of old towels and a bar of soap that had seen better days. I gladly accepted both and followed him into the narrow opening of the private cavern.
It was warm in the room from the naturally heated springs. Raven explained where it was safe to bathe and left me. He stood guard at the entrance with his back to me.
I stripped off my oversized sweats, grateful, for they were mostly clean. I washed the best I could with the soap. I washed my hair with it, too, removing all the grime and specks of Alexander’s blood, which had likely splattered into it during our flight.
After I washed I ducted beneath the water to rinse. I floated around the stream a little, ever mindful of the door where Raven stood. I knew he’d never watch me, but I didn’t want to take too long so he’d feel the need to check on me.
I splashed around a bit, enjoyed the warm clear water and went back underwater for a final rinse. When I rose from the water, I heard a commotion near the door. At first, I wondered if Dark Hearts had found us again, and then realized it was the guys when I heard Raven, “stay under the water, piccola. The guys just want to make sure you’re ok.”
I hadn’t heard the thoughts of any of them, nor had I heard any noise. A myriad of feelings went through me. I was surprised, delighted and a bit embarrassed to be caught without my clothes.
I dog paddled to stay afloat in the deeper part of the water. I made sure to stay beneath the water to cover my breasts, as I waved at them. They were all talking at once, except Victor and Miles who seemed to be watching me instead. Victor’s quirked his eyebrow, which I’d come to expect from someone with his dry sense of humor and overactive hormones. I could tell by his face that he was more than a little glad to see me, but he also found the whole situation rather amusing as a few of the guys acted like lovesick teenagers.
I spoke to each of them as I continued to wave. I instantly stopped waving when I realized I’d gotten a little too close to the surface for modesty’s sake, which seemed to please Victor all the more. Dirty old vampire, I thought.
I’d been so good at keeping my mind’s barriers erected, but I must have dropped them when the guys entered the room, because I instantly heard Victor’s chuckle and reply,
Since I’m such a dirty old vampire, perhaps I should join you.
I quickly blocked any further thoughts from escaping and gave him a dirty look, which caused him to smirk at me and say something to Miles, who had also been watching me intensely as I waved to all of them. I’d have to watch Victor, Alexander, Raven when he was in his gargoyle form, and now Miles when he was with Victor. I was out of my depth with all four of them. I could deal with the others, even the ancient Sebastian who was ever the professional, above board doctor and a bit old-fashioned. Julian and Vincent acted like teens most of the time, which I could handle much better than the sexual intensity of the others.
I hoped that as we all got better acquainted my nervousness around those four would ease up a little. At least, Raven wouldn’t be a problem most of the time as long as he was in human form.
After a few attempts at conversation, Raven was back inside escorting the entire group out of the room. He was back at the door again as he protected my modesty. He was so sweet and ever the gentleman, at least when he was human.
It felt good to be clean I thought as I dried off and slipped back into my bra, sweats and now grubby shoes. I’d decided to go commando when I’d gotten cleaned up when Alexander and I had been in Victor’s mausoleum hideout. Now I felt a bit subconscious and was glad I’d opted to put on the bra even though it wasn’t the cleanest.
I ran my fingers through my curls and tried to look my best as I went out to see the guys.
It saddened me that Alexander had not been among the faces I’d seen. I did not feel his thoughts either as I lowered my barriers to attempt telepathic communication with him. There was nothing. I quickly raised them back up to keep the others from knowing the sorrow that I was feeling at his loss. I was elated to see them and didn’t want to ruin the moment. They’d all risked their lives for me. A few even looked like they had been injured in the process.
I walked into the other room and was immediately grabbed around the waist by Vincent, who seemed most uneasy. He pulled me to him for a quick hug, before another set of arms claimed me. Julian spun me around until Sebastian scolded him,
; “Take it easy, Julian. I haven’t determined the extent of her injuries yet.” Sebastian, ever the doctor, shooed the rest of them away from me and immediately led me to the blanket that Raven and I had shared earlier.
His touch was impersonal at first, but his fingers began tracing circular patterns along the palm of my hand. His light touch made the butterflies in my stomach dance around. I looked at the others from my prone position on the blanket and gave them an encouraging, but tentative smile. I explained to Sebastian what had happened and he seemed satisfied that I had no life-threatening injuries.
Sebastian whispered for my ears only, “I know your barriers are up, but I wanted you to know how glad I am to see you. Leallen, I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you. I think you’ll survive. I’m not sure if I will, if I don’t get to kiss those sweet pink lips of yours soon.” He winked at me and then reverted to his professional demeanor that he employed most of the time. “Just try to take it easy on the knees for a while. We may be immortal, but injuries can still be painful and can become infected. Those knees of yours have taken a beating. I curse the Plutonian that was fool enough to touch you. He shall die a slow and painful death.”
I didn’t say anything, but if Sebastian’s rich chocolate eyes were any indicator, the creature was as good as dead or worse. He squeezed my hand and then carefully helped me up. He handed me off to Miles who pulled me into a big, gentle bear hug, under the watchful eyes of the doctor.
I noticed that all of them seemed to be restraining from anything more than a hug or a gentle kiss. I wasn’t sure if they were trying to give me time, being watchful of the others, or if they realized that I was sore from my encounter with Dark Hearts. I was a bit disappointed, but appreciated their thoughtfulness. I didn’t want them fighting over me either. I’d already seen a couple of strained looks from Vincent as Victor and Miles gave me a hug and quick kiss. We’d have to be careful about public displays of affection, but right then I didn’t care. I’d missed them all so much.
Of course, being the kind of male he was, Victor had turned me in such a way that a slight squeeze of my bottom had gone unnoticed. I gave him that look of “you’ve got to be kidding”. I wondered again how he’d survived so long, without some jealous male offing him.
After we’d all shared our greetings, a voice came from the entrance, “is anyone glad to see me?”
It was Alexander. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There he stood looking completely healed with Sebastian directly behind him. Before I could think, I ran to him. I threw my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. I leaned into him then gave him a great big kiss, which he returned with more passion than one would expect from someone that had been all but dead not that long ago.
He held onto me seeming reluctant to let me go as our mouths fused together in what could only be described as an epic kiss that curled my toes. We even repositioned our mouths a few times before Sebastian coughed, tactfully reminding me that we had an audience.
“Remind me to get the shit kicked out of me more often, if that’s the kind of welcome greeting I’ll get.” That comment had undoubtedly come from the ancient vampire and second resident smart-ass.
I backed up from Alexander, blushing from the way I’d kissed him in front of the others. I looked him up and down. He was in one piece, but he did seem a little pale.
“I hope I didn’t hurt you. It’s just that I thought you were dead.”
“I’m going to be fine. It’ll just take a while for me to fully recover,” then he added for my ears only, which earned him a big grin from the all-hearing, all-seeing vampire, “I just wish you’d have been dressed the way you were when Julian and you were dancing, or should I say undressed?”
I moved further away from him at once and blushed all the way to my toes, knowing that the smirking Victor had heard it, too. I chose to ignore his seductive remark. I did question his healing, though, before I walked over to sit with the others. He looked at Sebastian, who immediately corroborated his comments.
“I’m sure Alexander will be fine after that greeting.” Vincent piped up. I wasn’t sure what he meant by his sarcastic tone. I’d thought Alexander dead, but maybe I had overreacted in front of the others. Vincent would just have to get over it. I’d have done the same to him had the positions been reversed.
Raven gave Vincent a look that said knock it off, which he did. Nothing further was said as Sebastian helped Alexander sit down on a blanket that had been laid across a large boulder. My guys were all going to be ok, this time. I couldn’t believe it as I looked around the room. Besides a few scratches and a couple of bruises, they looked more than fine. I still couldn’t believe that all of those handsome, powerful males were mine.
“I can’t believe you’re all here. I was so worried about all of you. Are you all ok? Would one of you tell me what happened?”
Everyone looked to Raven, who said, “I can tell you part of what happened, but someone else will need to fill you in on what happened after I left with you.”
“This is classified, but under the circumstances I consider you part of our squad, Emma. I think you should be kept informed as much as us, since it involves you.”
Everyone agreed. Raven shared how they’d eventually defeated the influx of Dark Hearts that had invaded Victor’s home. It seemed that quite a bit of Victor’s cave system would need to be rebuilt if he was ever able to return to his home. Miles had waited until most of the Dark Hearts were inside the tunnel system. Then, being the explosives expert of the group, he blew up a large section of Victor’s underground escape route. It sounded like there had been quite a lot of one-on-one combat as well, but no one was giving me much detail. I wondered if anyone was hurt. It was obvious that they weren’t talking.
I learned that they were all proficient with either guns, swords, knives or hand-to-hand combat. I was impressed. Every one of them seemed to have a specialized set of skills, which was probably why my father had chosen them as my shields.
I wondered how many more times they’d be putting their lives on the line for me. We still didn’t know anything about my identity. What could happen when William Dark found out about me, which I was sure he would. I had a feeling his search for me would become even more intense and deadly.
How many people were going to get hurt or die before this was finally over? Would my immortal shields be able to withstand the deadly force of Dark Hearts? The questions filled my mind as I looked over to Alexander, who was grimacing as he tried to get comfortable on the rock. One thing was for sure, they may be immortal, but they still got hurt and felt pain…of that I was certain judging by the look on his face.
Chapter Seventeen
We sat around and quietly visited sharing stale potato chips and a never-ending supply of those chewy granola bars. Raven had plenty of water, too, as we all drank and ate our fill.
Raven announced that as soon as we got some rest, a decision would need to be made about our next destination. Leaving the area seemed like a great idea with the enemy swarming around West Liberty and St. Paris. We decided that talking aloud was the best idea for now, too, since many of the enemy shared the same telepathic talents as we did.
We kept our voices down as we relaxed a little. Raven was on the first watch with the others to follow. Since there was only one entrance and exit, it wasn’t a place we planned to stay for long. Raven and Victor had been caving many times in the area and knew most of the larger cave system, which was helpful.
I sat on the blanket next to Vincent and Julian. It was a no touching situation, but sitting between the brothers was snuggly comfortable. Victor and Miles sat near us on another one of Raven’s blankets. Sebastian never got too far from Alexander, which made me wonder exactly how badly he was hurt. I knew I wasn’t being told everything, because they were trying to protect me by keeping me blissfully ignorant. They should know by now that that didn’t work for me.
I learned there was an area for relieving ourse
lves. I quietly did that and returned to find the guys arguing about something. Well, my normally quiet Vincent was debating something with Raven. Alexander was being abnormally still and had laid back on the rock. The debate ended abruptly with Vincent heading towards the bathing chamber. The others rotated, somewhat, so that a modicum of privacy was maintained.
After we’d all finished, Raven had suggested that we try to get some rest. Victor was on watch at the entrance and with his exceptional hearing, I felt safe enough to try to sleep. He’d probably hear if someone belched during one of the cave tours, which was several miles away.
I was trying to spend time with each of them, but felt drawn to lay beside Alexander, which pleased him and irritated Vincent. Nothing was said, but I felt the tension in the air when I laid down beside him.
How could they be a team if there was underlying tension caused by my presence? I could endanger their lives even more, if they weren’t focusing or functioning as a team. I wondered if I’d have the strength to leave them. First, I needed sleep and to know without a doubt that Alexander was going to be ok. I spooned against the front of him as he wrapped his long golden arm over me to pull me in closer. I hadn’t asked about his wings. I’d broach the subject tomorrow.
He was enjoying our closeness as much as I was. I’d watched him earlier and noticed a few times that the over confident Alexander surfaced when the other guys were watching him. He was the focus of my attention and knew it by a few of the envious looks he got.
When I wasn’t near him, I was still watching him, making sure I hadn’t imagined him. I needed to ensure that he was still there. Raven had been right, Alexander had survived, I thought as I fell asleep snuggled against him.
Even though I was tired, it was hard for me to fall asleep. I was so excited to have all of them near me. In the flickering of Raven’s candlelight, I saw all of them lying around the cave floor. All six of my shields surrounded me and Miles was now in the doorway keeping watch. It seemed they were taking short shifts so everyone could get some much-needed sleep.
Dark Secrets Page 19
